Infidelity
by yamikinoko
Summary: .Inu-Yasha x Kikyou. They were merely two lost souls seeking comfort. Were they not perfect for each other? Both wished for one to see them for who they truly were yet... Life has other plans.


**A/N**: _Eh, this was written as a flashfic for angelicarrow, my wonderful beta. I'm sorry about that one shoujo part in there that I know you despise, but I think it's necessary to the story. Sorry._

**Disclaimer**: _I do not own **Inu-Yasha a Feudal Fairy Tale**, which should be obvious as Sesshou-Maru is still present and available in the series... and not hidden away in my closet._

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**Infidelity**

"_I am teaching you of the longbow today, my child. This is the traditional weapon of a priestess, our only weapon; it is the focus for our purification powers and a symbol of our dedication to our people. It must never leave your side at any moment for it is how you will protect your people. You must never use it frivolously and every arrow leaving the string must have a purpose, a finality that severs all ties, resolving the problem at hand."_

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"Give me the _Shikon no Tama_ and I'll let you live, wench!"

_Two days ago the village hunters had run to her cabin in a fit of panic,_

"_Lady Kikyou, Lady Kikyou! There be a demon in th' forest!"_

"_Aye, fearsome teeth he 'ad, and claws all a' dripping venom that melted the earth to boot!"_

"_An' his eyes! Horrible, murderous things they be; twill turn you to stone!"_

Her townspeople, her poor, ignorant, foolish children that they were. She had sensed the aura of a demon in the vicinity, yes. But not fearsomely or significantly large enough to be of much harm away from the village so she issued instructions that any business outside of the village boundaries must not be conducted without her presence.

And here it was, a beautiful summer afternoon, a lesson on herbs for her little sister, Kaede, in the meadow. The demon had shown itself but lo and behold; no extra teeth, no venom, in fact, the only things that might have separated him from your normal run of traveler were his abnormally yellow eyes, lengthened nails, and atop his head, an adorable pair of fluffy white dog ears. Absolutely nothing menacing in the slightest. It was almost a joke.

Calmly, she stood up and brushed off her _hakama_, picking up her bow and motioning Kaede behind her where the little girl watched with eyes wide as saucers,

"I beg your pardon," she answered politely when she was ready to give him her full attention, "But it is not mine to give."

His face darkened as he flexed his fingers, "Then I'll take it from you!" he snarled as he leapt towards her.

He was so fast and Kaede cringed, shutting her eyes against what was to follow; mutilation and death were her thoughts. It was not to be.

In a single, fluid movement, graceful in its entirety, three arrows were loosed before the unfortunate demon could blink, effectively pinning him to a nearby tree by the fabric of his _haori_.

"Come, Kaede," her sister's gently flowing voice easily penetrated the cacophonous clamor that rang throughout the clearing, 'Perhaps we have learned enough for today."

Kaede took her sister's hand happily and looked back. Stuck her tongue out.

A fresh stream of spluttered curses and threats followed them on their way home.

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"_Child, hear me well, for there are none so pitiful as those who are mix-breeds, proof of the indiscretions of their selfish parents. They are alienated from society, accepted neither by humans nor demons for they are too powerful to be among us, yet too weak to associate with those of the demon race."_

Her eyes blinked open with the arrival of the first songlark.

Priestesses are much like half-demons, she mused as she carried her own basket of laundry along with the other women to the riverbank. Humans only respect them and fear their power, unwilling to associate with them –us- unless they have some ailment to be cured.

The other women chattered happily as they dipped the soiled cloths in the downstream washing spot. Kikyou slid her hands into the cool water instead and watched the sunlight play over the ripples. Something prickled at the far edge of her senses and she stood up, drying off her hands and picking up her bow.

"Lady Kikyou?" one of the women asked hesitantly.

The answer came in the form of a crash on the other side of the river as an entire tree toppled over and the half-demon reappeared. Cuddly ears aside, something that could topple full-grown trees was nothing to be sneezed at. Cue mass pandemonium.

"Shut up!!" he bellowed once the high-pitched screams were making his ears hurt and the running-in-circles was making him dizzy. It didn't help at all, if anything, they just added to their hysteria.

Kikyou gave a brief, inaudible sigh, "Girls, please. Might I have some quiet?" And she had it. Immediately. So hushed were they that you could hear the rustle of the wind through the trees above.

"Now that we can hear each other, is there anything I might help you with?" she inquired, polite, cold, and detached.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" he barked his ultimatum once again, and the women looked to their priestess nervously, afraid to speak lest it violate the constrains of "quiet".

Kikyou merely inclined her head towards him, unperturbed, "And might I ask what you plan to do with it? For as I have said before, it is not in my power to give."

He faltered visibly at her unexpected question and recovered, drawing his face together into a glare, "I'll just take it from you!" and once again he leapt towards her movements barely a tad slowed by the running water and it was all it took for three arrows to be drawn from their quiver and loosed from the bow. Once again, he found himself with the embrace of a stolid tree, a good distance away from where Kikyou, that wench, held the object of his desires in her hand.

The silent women, who could never remain so for long, cheered and surrounded their protectress, their heroine, their Lady Kikyou and congratulated her, each grasping her hand and patting her arm… all without touching their mysterious, unreachable, **feared** priestess.

To be honest, she was getting quite sick of upholding a distant façade amongst those she saw to and cared for, day among monotonous day, with no affection gathered and her only outlet being the poultices and healing her hands could enact. A caged butterfly-waiting to be set free.

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It was for that very reason that she enjoyed the company of travelers so much. One, because they brought news outside the village to them and two, while they treated her with respect, there was no half-fearful, half-adoring glances from them. Awe, perhaps, for who hadn't heard the name of the famed Lady Kikyou? But even awe was a welcome respite and this fact was confirmed when a traveler had entered the village tonight, bringing them trade and information. And what she most wanted to know.

The erratic half-demon with an explosive temper and dog's features, rumored to be hunting down the priestess in possession of the _Shikon no Tama_ was the bastard son of the late _Inutaiyoukai_ of the Western Lands; his name was Inu-Yasha.

The ties of her _hakama_ undone, she repressed a shiver at the cold night air that suddenly flowed over her skin. Folding the shirt and bottom carefully, she set it on a rock and stepped into the water, chilly, but not freezing. She walked further into the lake and submerged herself in the water, dipping her head back to wet her hair.

"Soji, there you are! Child, don't you know that the Lady Kikyou be taking her ceremonial bath tonight?"

"Mama, look, I got a flower for you!"

"Oh, my sweet child, thank you! But let's keep the flower-gathering to daytime, no?"

The scene was heartwarming, what little of it she could see through the leafy brush. The familiar warning bells sounded in her head and she rose halfway from the water out of sheer instinct. He was closer than she had realized, standing at the edge of the lake, watching the same scene with a wistful look on his face. The tiny splash she made caused him to whip his head around and surprise showed clearly on his face.

His shock could very well be justified. Half crouched within the confines of the lake, water running in rivulets like quicksilver down her bare, perfectly formed body that gleamed like pure alabaster in the moonlight and her raven tresses in flowing disarray around that beautiful, melancholy, serene face; she could have been taken as a water goddess, rising from her slumber.

His eyes widened as he suddenly realized who she was. And like any brave –half-demon- man would do in such a situation he turned… and fled.

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"Inu-Yasha?" she called, her clear voice echoing gently throughout the clearing, "Inu-Yasha, I know you're there. Why don't you come out?"

Inu-Yasha peered resentfully through the leafy boughs of the tree he was perching on and saw her seated among the springy grass of the field. Warily, he hopped down and crept slowly towards her until he was only a few feet away, "What do you want?"

She stared aimlessly into space for a moment, "We're a lot alike… aren't we?" she asked finally, eyes still fixed upon something far away.

He bristled, "Why would I be anything like you?? You're a human, you're weak!"

Despite his direct jibe about her race, she merely nodded as if accepting a compliment,

"We're both… looking for someone who can see us for who we really are… aren't we?" she inquired, finally looking up into his face, a gentle smile gracing her features for the first time since he had met her, slightly teasing yet with a hint of desperate longing at the same time. It was the expression that would haunt his thoughts, cause him to doubt his convictions, and beguile his overall hatred of the woman who stood between him and the ultimate desire of his existence. If he really had to admit it… it was rather… refreshing.

-----

He saw her again, several times, over and over as she went about her duties as priestess but alone or otherwise, he never dared approach her. What would he say? That was the essence of the matter. He had no idea. What did you say to a pair of eyes that seemed to cut you to the core, eyes that seemed able to peer through all the trash he had erected as his façade and see whom he was?

"Inu-Yasha?"

He nearly jumped. He hadn't heard her arrive.

"What are you thinking about?"

It was an interesting question. To tell you the truth, he had been thinking something pertaining to her, he was certain. But now, standing next to her and inhaling that unique scent, that musky, sweet smell of burning brushwood that tantalized his senses and befuddled his mind, he couldn't quite remember exactly what it was. He had never smelt anything quite like it before, never concentrated on a single thing like he did now.

He moved forward, his mind urging him on, congratulating him and encouraging him as he made his examination of that unique scent. There was no time for thought, not one moment for reconsideration and they were off, the clatter of the bow against a stone resounding through the treetops like the rattling caw of crows.

"_It must never leave your side at any moment for it is how you will protect your people."_

It was an act of impetuosity and he knew it. They both knew it. But neither of them could neither dredge up the will nor thought to care as they performed that ancient dance, thinking they found solace in another at last.

-----

He spent his days fretting. It had been almost a week since he had returned her to the original meeting place to retrieve her bow, upon which she had left without a backward glance. He had been too afraid to stop her. And now, he was too afraid to confront her. Had he insulted her in some way? He was fearful of what may happen, terrified that he might have lost the one thing in the world that-

"Inu-Yasha?"

Her voice, her blessed call, she had returned to him. He lost no time in running to meet her, heart leaping into his throat with the sheer hope that had blossomed in his chest, "You came."

She looked at him momentarily with those unfathomable eyes of hers and offered no reassurance in her expression, "You wanted to become a demon with the Shikon Jewel, did you not?"

Nonplussed and feeling his sudden exhilaration plummet, he could only nod as she continued, "If one were to use the Jewel to become human, it would disappear forever. I would assume the role of a normal woman without the burden of protecting it," when he merely stared at her, she tightened her grip on her bow ever so slightly, "Would you become a mere human, weak, and spend your life with me?"

It was a monumental decision. All his life he had wanted to become like his father and perhaps even his half-brother, sharing their strength without the hindrance of his mother's blood, but now… all that had changed with this one woman. She was real. And she was offering him her companionship for as long as they both should live. What could he say?

He said yes.

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So excited was he, so invigorated by her grateful smile, so relieved that she had not shunned him like so many in his life that it never really occurred to him that in all actuality… he had known the enigmatic priestess for a grand total of three weeks. He was all expectations and hope for the future, seeing little human children running around bearing her eyes and his nose. A virtual eternity with her and all it took was one little stone.

He had never expected to be double-crossed. Any and every previously treasured feeling for her was immediately trashed and all he felt was rage, fury, and above all, overwhelming hurt. He was the despised _hanyou_ once again. She had betrayed him.

Nothing was too high a price for her to pay.

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He had betrayed her. How dare he? After she had given herself to him, let herself be known by him most carnally, given up her first-priority duty to her townspeople for him, he had deceived her. Choking back bitter tears, she got up, praying to whatever gods were listening that her wounds would hold just long enough… if only so she could make him pay.

A single arrow was all it took, taking with it the last of her quivering strength. It flew straight, as she knew it would. The burning wreckage of the village behind her, the wounds of the villagers, her children; they were all on account of her. Glaring reminders of her failure to her people and above all, damning memory of treachery on all accounts. She had never hated as she did now.

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_Never had my arrows held more purpose. Never had a single arrow held more finality that severed such ties. I have learnt thy lessons well._

_So mote it be._

./OWARI;

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**A/N**: _See? I told you. Shameless. Never mix reading dictionaries and Classical Allusions presentations in class. Never. You know the drill: click the purple button and butcher me._

-MshRm


End file.
